Rochester and Buffalo submit joint Amazon bid

(WXXI News & AP) It's official. The joint proposal developed by economic development agencies in Rochester and Buffalo have now submitted what they are calling “an extremely sophisticated and compelling bid” to Amazon in response to the ‘request for proposals’ put out by Amazon for a second headquarters.

With a project that could see Amazon spending as much as $5 billion and hiring 50,000 workers, it has resulted in a mad rush of metro areas around the country submitting bids to the online retailing giant. The proposals were due Thursday.

Greater Rochester Enterprise and Invest Buffalo Niagara figured this region would have a better chance is they submitted a joint proposal.

Details are not being released yet due to the competitive nature of the selection process, but GRE Interim president and CEO Matt Hurlbutt says they feel this Western NY region can be very competitive.

“On a project like this, I think it comes down to talent. We have a great deal of talent in this community , great university system, and a lot of research and development that goes across from packaging, RFID technology, information technology, software development , drone related technology, geospatial systems, imaging," Hurlbutt told WXXI News.

Metro New York City, greater Syracuse and the Albany region are also in the running to win Amazon's second headquarters. All four regions are taking a regional approach, with the New York City proposal covering Long Island and suburban Westchester County as well. Howard Zemsky, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo's top economic development official, wouldn't reveal what financial incentives the state is ready to offer. But he says that when factors including transportation access, workforce, economy and quality of life are considered he expects New York to be among the strongest competitors.

To help emphasize the region’s strengths, the two organizatons had a short, fast-paced video put together by Pegula Sports Entertainment and PicSix Creative: